c h a p t e r | 20.1
LIQUID COURAGE
'I look like a clown stuffed in the trapeze artist's tutu.'
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A KNOCK RESOUNDED THROUGH THE APARTMENT. A cheery Indy twirled her way through the apartment, eager to greet who was at the other side, and a face splitting grin appeared the minute she finally opened the door.

"Doof."

"Penguin," Noah stuck his tongue out at Hale, before they both realized the door had already been opened, and they both straightened in their postures to greet the giddy Indy.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"Hi." They all uttered in greeting, Indy's eyes, imitating an elevator, took their time in studying the handsomely suit cladded Hale, which left the trio at the door in an awkward silence.

"Hi," Noah quirked up again, not really sure if Indy actually had caught on.

Hale automatically followed his little brother's lead, while clearing his throat, "Hey." His lips pursed as he wasn't blind to Indy's hungry look.

"Hi," Indy breathed hollowly again and let herself lean up against the door to prevent her from falling sideways in bedazzlement.

Noah, tucking at his brother's trousers, looked up at him pleadingly, "You sure, I can't stay over at Sean's?"

"Look is she ready?" Hale groaned and caught a glance of the watch he surprisingly was wearing before looking backwards at the limo waiting to take them on.

"Who?" Indy asked, though it sounded more like another empty breath than an actual word, and Noah looked at Indy trying to determined if she was all the way there and waved a careful hand in front of her before he was pulled back by Hale.

"Tessa?" He questioned with a sideways glance at Indy, who blinked profusely.

"Tessa? Oh yeah, TESSA!" She screamed, leaving the boys to grimace. Noah quickly covering his ears.

"The hunk is here! And— Wait. Who are you?" Indy asked, first now realizing Hale hadn't come alone.

"I'm Noah," Noah presented with a frown, glancing up at Hale, who shot him an apologetical look.

He cleared his throat again, this time uncomfortable for more than one reason.

"She didn't tell you?" Hale furrowed his brows, when Indy looked back and forth between them before slowly shaking her head no.

"I'm her— I'm here!" Tessa exclaimed while trying to run and put on her heels at the same time.

"Sorr— Oww," she stumbled into the wall, as she finally got the last one on, but lost her balance in the process. "I'm so sorry. They sent Parker the wrong suit jacket. I had to do damage control so, I just got home like half an hour ago!" She explained herself as she trotted up alongside Indy.

"It's true," Indy nodded in confirmation.

"We should go—" She stated already heading through the door however Indy grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" A nervous laugh escaped her, "I'll have her right back. Jus-just a moment," she said and gestured for emphasis before hauling her roommate with her into the adjourned living room.

"What is it, Indy? It's the dress, isn't it? I told you I couldn't wear it. I look like a clown stuffed in the trapeze artist's tutu," she grimaced and tugged firmly at the dress hoping it would yield and cover more of her body. "But I can't possibly make it and change. We're really late. I can't have him to be late, and I know I was running late, but it wasn't my fault. They sent Parker a striped jacket. A striped jacket! You really cannot attend a dinner party like this in stripes," Tessa rambled before Indy took a hold of both her shoulders.

"Yeah, whatever, but didn't you forget to tell me something."

"I can't do this, Indy," she whispered indignantly again, running her hands over the gem embedded neck line before her hand went to her back to try and tuck the fabric up to cover more of her exposed back.

"Tessa, you look fine. Breathtaking! Now, stop fussing! Rita and Rikki will have your head if you pull a thread. Now what were you supposed to tell me?"

Tessa wracked her brain, "Did I say it was purple?"

Indy rolled her eyes, "Forget the jacket. It's not about the jacket or the dress, though it looks killer on you." She slapped Tessa's hand as she tugged at the neckline again. "It's about that minuscule person, right now standing beside that fine piece of chocolate." She crossed her arms, and Tessa inhaled as it finally dawned on her.

"Oh."

"Oh," she stated blandly, before feeling her own heart beat drum, "I don't do babysitting. I can't do babysitting, Tessa," she whispered heatedly as Tessa didn't speak up, but merely looked uncomfortable for having forgotten to tell her she needed a favor.

"It's not actually babysitting. Noah is a good kid. Just keep an eye on him from time to time, that's all," she tried bargaining innocently as Indy scowled.

"Keep an eye on him?" She spoke through clenched teeth, "Last time, I had to keep an eye on anything living it died!"

"Mr. Gold was old. It wasn't you fault."

"Tell that to Parker! He still hasn't forgiven me for killing him!"

"You do know we can hear you right?" Hale interjected from the hallway and Tessa's face retorted in an unpleasant smile.

"I don't wanna die," Noah contributed into the already awkward atmosphere.

"Tessa, we need to go," Hale spoke up again, "You told me specifically—"

"I know, I know! Just..."

Tessa and Indy started arguing noiselessly, before Tessa with a huff pushed Indy back into the hallway with an overly cheery smile. "I'm ready. Noah, this is Indy. She's gonna stay here with you. I already ordered pizza. Pepperoni and extra pineapples, and Indy's secret sugar stash has just been refilled. She has a thing for Sour Patch. You'll find it in the third drawer in the cupboard—"

"Tessa," Indy hissed, thoroughly ruffled that Tessa was uncovering her hide-out.

"Cool!" Noah exclaimed with interest, his eyes sparkling by the idea of a feast. "Hale hates pineapples!"

Tessa grinned.

"I don't really—"

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't."

"Yes—"

Indy once again tugged at Tessa when the boys started to bicker, and looked at her incredulously while Tessa just shook her head.

"I rented some movies, so just put him in front of the TV," she spoke out of the corner of her mouth.

"Wha—" Hale rolled his eyes, cutting through the repetitive squabble, before giving him a small nudge to enter the apartment so they could get on with it, but got interrupted when a dog in full force ran against them. He almost tripped over when the dog ran through his legs straight at Noah.

"Cool! A puppy! Can I walk him? Indy can we walk him!" Noah fell to his knees with exuberance as Felix kept licking his face. He let out an entertained laugh while trying to obtain the overjoyed golden retriever. "Please?"

"First a child and now the devil in disguise. Tessa I can't—"

"Yes, you can!" Tessa pressured, "Take them to the park. You'll have fun I promise!" Tessa insisted with a nod. "Come Hale we're late," she added already hurrying down the steps, leaving Hale to follow her.

A disgruntled Indy eyed the cord venomously, while Noah and Felix played tag.

Hale who turned leave after Tessa halted, "Now don't consort with any of your girlfriends while Noah's around, okay? Keep that for the grown ups, okay?" He commented with a wink before descending down the stairs taking two at a time, while Indy's jaw dropped to the floor, totally flabbergasted.

Tessa feeling the temperature drop, slowly turned to gaze at a dagger staring Indy. She frowned a little as Indy made jerky gestures trying to tell her something. She didn't really notice Hale as he walked up to her since she was worried that Indy was yelling obscenities that would make Noah's ears bleed.

After all, one could trust Indy to have some quite colorful expletives.

Seeking his moment, he took the opportunity to take in her presence, his gaze raking over her body.

His eyes seemed to twinkle as much as the gems, and rhinestones that decorated the neckline, and when Tessa finally looked away from Indy to meet his gaze, the self-pleased smirk lured at the corner.

"It's a dress, Hale. Get over it, okay? I know about your reputation. So don't think for a second that I'm gonna be another one of your girls. Try Julie, she brags about her conquests—" she barked, while trying to shrink even further to make sure the dress covered all that needed to be covered.

"Look, Tessa," He cut her off, subtly holding his hands up in surrender though the smirk didn't waver.

The certain honesty in his eyes made Tessa frown.

"Before you get too caught up in your soliloquy, can I just say that you look—"

She let out a snort, before turning her back to him, opening the door to the limo, and scooted in, while Hale was left staring at her unclothed back, complimented by the sparkling black dress. "Just get in. We're late."

With an indistinctive shake of his head, he followed her inside, "If I recall correctly—"

"The cameras will be there like always ready to take photos," Tessa already with her phone in her hand, went over her reminders, "We're still ahead enough of time to make your reserved slot. I suggest you wait with any substances until we get inside and away from the cameras, okay? Hopefully, Deluca will be right within reach for a subtle but impressionable greeting. And to the dissatisfaction I can imagine my presence is to you. Just please, try to be discreet with the ladies, okay?"

"You know," Hale started, his voice trailing thoughtfully, while he watched the scenery pass, "You're that little nuisance of a voice in my head. The eternal pain in my ass," he continued while running a careful hand through his hair, and Tessa jaw locked in distaste, though she settled with just crossing her arms.

He titled his head back on the seat, looking at her, "Every time damn time, I see your pesky doe eyes try to stare me down." He quirked his brows as her features darkened even further. "Truly makes me wanna buy you a pair of sunglasses."

She batted her eyelashes in return. "Aww, are you saying your conscience is finally beginning to claw at your overgrown ego?"

"Do you have something in your eye, or do you just suffer from blepharospasm? In that case you better tell me so I can get you those glasses sooner rather than later," Hale deadpanned and Tessa's gaze turned into a scowl.

"I'm surprised you even know such a word."

"I'm a man of mysteries," Hale replied with his usual smugness.

"If that's what you need to believe," she rolled her eyes.

"For this to work, you really need to look like you don't wanna clobber me with a flat iron," Hale commented airily as the limo rounded a corner close to the venue and she let out a humorless laugh.

"Trust me, I won't be hitting you with a flat iron," she commented under her breath.

"Let's just get this night over with," she said in a more leveled voice, and Hale sent her a curt nod, following the slowing of the car as they sidled up to the packed venue.

Following his gaze, she let out a hollow breath as she caught a glimpse of the photographers and journalists that encased the red carpet. It dawned on her, that she might not have thought this through, and felt a lump take residence in her throat, a small wave of panic coursing through her as Hale exited the car.

"Come on," He ducked his head inside the limo again, when she didn't move, his brows furrowed in confusion by her expression, before it softened altogether, and extended his hand towards her.

"With me they won't even notice you," he added as an afterthought and she reluctantly took his hand, a peculiar squeak escaping her in appreciation.

Immediately the many lights flooded her vision, and Hale squeezed her hand tighter coaxing her into following him, and steadily steered them through the crowds.

"Enjoy your 5 minutes of fame. Just don't fuck it up for me," Hale whispered into her ear.

Just before she could tell him where he could shove his 5 minutes, his hand disappeared from hers, and instead his arm wrapped lightly around her shoulder, tugging her firmly into his side.

A breath escaped her as she looked up at him, their gaze locking, while the cameras fired away.

Her head tipped to the right, as she studied him in awe of how he seemed to handle the cameras like they were just a part of any other photoshoot.

She twisted her body further, causing his hand to drop to her waist by the motion. She placed her own on his chest, while turning her back to the cameras, catching a fleeting look at the cameras before looking back at Hale.

There was a certain stiffness to his posture, by her bold action, but he quickly recovered, and sent her a cocky smile in response. Ignoring the questions fired at them, he simply nodded and motioned for them to move along.

Tessa exhaled in gratitude as they finally escaped the red carpet, only to be stunned by the many gorgeously clad people inside.

"You were right. Deluca is over there," he muttered in her ear, and she started to pull away, however he squeezed her side lightly, telling her to stay.

Two respective men, one dressed subtly in dark green, the other in a simple black suit but with vivid orange glasses, nodded at Hale, who motioned for Tessa to follow him.

"Richardson and Friedman," Hale greeted professionally with a firm handshake, while Tessa meekly stood beside him, her eyes scouting the grand scene, not able to follow their conversation.

"This is my date, Tessa," Hale's voice suddenly intercepted her stupor, and she felt a little push to her back.

"Mr Richardson, Mr. Friedman. It's lovely to meet you. Or well, officially as we briefly met at the fashion expo last spring," Tessa responded with a smile.

"Tessa is a stylist," Hale offered, as they looked genuinely interested.

"Oh yes, and can I just say your last collection was truly astounding. I still can't wrap my head around how everything was made from reusable materials. Really, the coat made purely of plastic bottles," she voiced sincerely, and the two men looked at her appreciatively.

"Ah thank you. Yes, that coat was truly one of the highlights of the collection. I had the pleasure of following the whole process. From the bottles to the final product—"

"Who knew bottles could be so soft, huh?" Tessa interjected amicably and joined in as they laughed, feeling Hale relax beside her seeing the conversation becoming less formal.

Tessa shot another examining glance over the room, now suddenly aware of her parched throat. With a quick polite excuse, she made her way straight to the trays of champagne, eager to be relieved of the dryness.

Emptying the flute in one go, her eyes flickered this way and that so she found herself already reaching for her second glass.

"Talk about a sight for sore eyes," Parker appeared by her side, looking particularly handsome himself in his fitted appropriate midnight blue suit and slick combed hair. He smiled approvingly as he took in his best friend.

"I didn't take into account who would be here tonight," she squeaked, and emptied her second glass just as fast as the first one.

Parker's smile faltered, and he shot a futile glance over the many guests, before he nodded to himself in realization. He halted Tessa's hand when she was going to down her third one.

"Tessa," he said slowly, and an awkward whimper climbed her throat.

"I'm fine," she said and looked around at the attendees again, her eyes flitting over all the recognizable people. Some intimidatingly more than others.

"I'm fine," she croaked as she studied one particular small gathering, her heart beating out of her chest, and a queasy grey paleness brushed her features. "D-did you—Sshe-I."

"What did the banana say to the vibrator?"

Her stutter and thoughts came to an abrupt halt by his question, and she craned her neck to look at him instead.

"Why are you shaking? She's gonna eat me!" Parker exclaimed, and quirked his brows to which Tessa laughed. Shaking her head, she looked away from her unbelievable friend.

"Parker—" She finally seemed able to breathe properly and Parker looked at her with platonic affection.

"It's okay, Marshmallow," Parker dismissed her try at a thank you, and pulled her in for a tight hug, and she took a moment to immerse in his calming scent.

"What do a penis and a Rubik's Cube have in common?" Parker inquired into the hug. Tessa quickly pulled away, slapping him on the arm.

"Parker," she scolded and looked around to see if anyone was listening in.

"The more you play with it, the harder it gets," he explained unaffected and she swatted him again.

"From your lecture in the car, I didn't peg you for the ditching kind." Hale came up to them, studying her with a small thoughtful frown, before he looked over at Parker. "Trying to steal my date, Michaels?" He asked and wrapped his arm around Tessa's shoulders.

She let out an exaggerated eye roll.

"Sup, Westbrook? Nope, just hiding from the folks, which apparently scored a ticket to this thing too," he said and they clinked glasses, "So yeah, staying here with Marshmallow increases my chances of not being the one singled out," he shrugged carelessly, "With her around they don't spare a glance at their own flesh and blood. They adore her that much."

Tessa rolled her eyes again, "Well, if you just picked up the phone to call them every now and then," she argued, and Hale looked back and forth between them again in skepticism.

"What did the O say to the Q?"

"Really?" Tessa glared at him for childishly changing the topic.

"What?" Hale asked with a grin, thoroughly amused in knowing the answer, which Tessa concluded was a guy thing, and she looked at the guests again, this time without being on the verge of a panic attack.

A stunning woman with red hair styled into a slick chignon caught her eye. Her dress was a deep purple that contrasted perfectly with her vibrant hair. She definitely screamed sophisticated chic and classy. The details on the dress was definitely worth every stylists gaze, but as the woman had caught her attention by already looking in their direction, all she noticed was the famous face of Vivian Iscarz.

Tessa shot a futile glance at Hale, as she thought Vivian was staring at his confident and sturdy frame, however Hale and Parker was still engrossed in swapping dirty and inappropriate jokes, and she frowned a little as Vivian suddenly turned her gaze onto hers, and she felt it run cold down her back, now surprisingly aware how Hale's hand had subtly found its way to the small of her back.

Hale suddenly moved, pulling his phone from his pocket, now carrying a cautious frown of his own, before looking back at the other two, "Sorry, excuse me for a minute," he said vaguely, leaving his hold on Tessa and hurried to a secluded room.

"What's that about?" Parker voiced, taking a sip of his glass, as Tessa just stared after him. Looking away, her gaze found its way back to where she saw Vivian. Just like Hale left she was gone too, and she wasn't sure whether she should voice her suspicions or not.

"Hey, don't you think you should go say hello to my parents?" Parker suggested with feigned innocence, and ducked behind her.

She readjusted her look, now seeing his parents chatting merrily with other contemporaries, before looking back at Parker, who laughed nervously.

"I mean you haven't seen them in a while, so of course I'll leave you alone with them. I think I saw Christopher around here too anyway."

"You suck, Park."

"That's what she said," Parker grinned, however his features quickly morphed into one of alarm as Tessa yanked him forward by the arm towards his parents.

_____*_____

A/N: I so couldn't keep the grin off my face as I wrote this. There's so much going on, I can't even... It's so different from anything I've ever done before and it's truly entertaining - and quite alarming that I'm squealing like a school girl whenever Parker gets lame. xD

I'm sure you've already noticed the part 1 at the top and yup. This chap had to be split in two - sadly - or well not really as it means more quirky fun for everyone !

So do you think there's anything between Hale and that Vivian woman or is it just a coincidence ? But better yet, what else do you think the night has in store for Tessa - and Hale?

Make sure to comment, vote and share this if you liked it. Tell your friends, scream it from the roof top or whatever. You can't be greedy and keep Parker to yourself you know. xD

Toodles noodles !

Ps. Part II will be up as soon as I can ! (No longer than a week!)